05-24-2006, 01:38 PM
There is no doubt that the rainbows in Yuba use fathead minnows and small perch as a forage fish...BUT, I would be willing to bet that they only use these as forage fish during certain times of the year when their other food sources are limited. Rainbows are not voracious predators--even after they reach 20+ inches. The rainbows in Yuba were able to grow large and gain great girth because of the absence of numerous other fish with which they had to compete. Their staple diet and largest food source is almost certainly aquatic insects...as for how they fight, I am sure they are great fighters; they are exceptionally healthy fish. The situation at Minersville is very similar to Yuba...the lake is fresh off of being drained and is virtually void of other fish that the rainbows have to compete with. As a result, the rainbows in Minersville have a leg up on the chubs and are growing fat and very healthy...now that some of them are reaching that 20+ inch range, they will start using small chubs as a forage fish...BUT, the small chubs will not be their main food source.
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